Another pock on US leadership is the escapist mess in Afghanistan. Though we and major allies—European, Australian and Canadian—make up the bulk of NATO there, the forces are underfunded as a the stepchild of the Iraqi skirmish and unable to contain the resurgence. To make the matter worse, the remainder of NATO refuses to consider itself a combat force but rather there to do nation building. Moreover, the battle of the poppy fields are doing as poorly, not a surprise, as our own domestic war on drugs. Telling Afghans to stop growing opium is like telling Iowans to stop growing corn.

The way to counter this is to track down the proceeds of the opium going to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Yet that, too, is easier said than done; for to search and destroy the criminal element consisting of farm lords rampant in Afghanistan in order to redirect the drug money to nation-building is tantamount to our own weakness in preventing crime here.

Then again, who really cares about this forgotten war?—just another badge of Washington shame.